Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, faced backlash from his own party for expressing his excitement over President-elect Donald Trump nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
As Townhall reported on Friday, Polis explained on X why he was eager to see Kennedy help “make America healthy again.”
“He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019,” Polis said. "I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health."
The Democrat governor asked his followers to consider a few points before they “mock him or disagree.”
“Level the playing field for Americans internationally on drug costs…cap drug prices so that companies can’t charge Americans substantially more than Europeans pay." YES! Colorado currently has an application just SITTING at FDA for us to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and we just need their approval.
"In some categories, there are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA that are – that have to go, that are not doing their job, they're not protecting our kids," YES! The entire nutrition regime is dominated by big corporate ag rather than human health and they do more harm than good
“We’ve got to get off of pesticide-intensive agriculture.” YES! We have tried unsuccessfully to better protect people and pollinators from harmful pesticides here in Colorado and we need all the help we can get to take on big chemical companies and improve human health and the environment! For our pollinators and our people!
I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov. He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA. I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than… pic.twitter.com/cILtTYplcn
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) November 14, 2024
But Polis' excitement was blasted by some members of his own party, and comments on his post were full of angry Democrats calling on him to resign.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) expressed disappointment over Polis’s praise of Trump’s appointment.
“I was disappointed in Jared, who I love, who is one of my favorite senators — forgive me, governors — but it is not OK, it’s not OK to do what he did, to cast doubt on processes that are well established in science,” Green told CNN’s Laura Coates during an interview on Thursday.
“It makes parents scared. When parents are scared, they don’t take action,” Green added, warning that if vaccination rates decrease, “you’ll see disease spread widely across America.”
Colorado state Sen. Kyle Mullica (D) also pushed back on Polis’s apparent support of Kennedy, as reported by Colorado Public Radio (CPR).
“I just think it’s really irresponsible and disappointing,” Mullica said, as highlighted by CPR.
Susan Lontine, executive director of Immunize Colorado and a former Colorado state legislator, told CPR that she disagrees with Trump’s nomination of Kennedy, though she “hopes to work with Polis in the next legislative session.”
“We’re disappointed and concerned by Gov. Polis’ support of RFK Jr.’s appointment,” Lontine said, as reported by CPR. (The Hill)
Ahead of Trump's selection of Kennedy, Polis spoke with New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, who offered some context for the former independent presidential candidate's excitement.
"I was sad to see RFK leaving our coalition because his voters in Colorado are a big part of my coalition. I mean, I had to threaten to veto vaccine mandates and we were able to avoid them. We have been trying to legalize raw milk in our state for several years and we're continuing to try because it leans into empowering people to make their own choices.”
"I certainly believe in vaccinations. I get vaccinated myself. I did that publicly last week for the flu and Covid. But if you can't convince people with the data, then they have the personal freedom not to. 'Our bodies, our choice' applies not just to fetuses, but also to decisions around health care — whether it's getting vaccinated or what foods you consume."
I interviewed Governor @jaredpolis a few days before the RFK pick and I think this bit of our conversation helps explain his strikingly positive reaction to the idea of RFK Jr. leading HHS:
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 15, 2024
"I was sad to see RFK leaving our coalition because his voters in Colorado are a big part…